Ikorodu Bank Robbery: Police Catch the Gang

The Ikorodu Bank Robbery: How the Police Caught the Criminals

The robbery started with precision, as though the criminals had rehearsed every move. On the morning of June 24, 2015, two banks in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, Nigeria, became targets of an audacious heist. The gang, armed to the teeth and moving with ruthless efficiency, overwhelmed the security guards and stormed into the bank premises. Inside, they made their demands clear, ordering everyone to lie face down while they emptied cash into large bags. Customers and staff were terrified but compliant. The operation lasted less than an hour, but the effects reverberated across the country.

The robbers didn’t leave quietly. As they exited the banks, they set vehicles ablaze to block the roads, ensuring that the police couldn’t pursue them immediately. Witnesses later described the robbers’ escape as almost cinematic. They used motorboats to flee through the waterways, disappearing into the creeks. By the time the police arrived, the robbers were long gone, leaving behind a trail of destruction and shaken witnesses.

The robbers made away with an estimated 80 million naira, and the heist quickly became the talk of the nation. Questions arose: How had they planned such a coordinated attack? Why had the police been unable to respond in time? The Lagos State Police Command, under intense public pressure, launched an investigation. The robbers had left no immediate clues, but the police were determined to track them down.

The investigation began with eyewitness accounts. Officers interviewed bank staff, customers, and residents near the scene. One detail stood out: the robbers had worn masks but spoken openly among themselves, revealing snippets of their plans and relationships. A few witnesses noted that one of the robbers had called another “Kashim” during the operation.

Meanwhile, the police forensic team combed through the crime scenes, looking for evidence. They recovered shell casings, fingerprints, and fragments of the burnt vehicles. While the evidence was valuable, it wasn’t enough to identify the suspects immediately. The investigation required more than just physical clues—it needed intelligence.

Detectives turned to the local community for leads. Ikorodu’s residents, angered by the audacity of the robbery, were eager to assist. One resident reported seeing unfamiliar faces in the area days before the robbery. Others mentioned suspicious movements near the waterways. The police took note of these details, cross-referencing them with known criminal networks operating in Lagos and neighboring states.

A breakthrough came when informants tipped off the police about a gang known to operate between Lagos and Ogun States. The gang, led by a man called Ayodele, had a reputation for planning meticulous robberies. Further intelligence revealed that the gang often used waterways to evade capture, matching the Ikorodu robbers’ escape strategy.

Surveillance efforts intensified. Undercover officers were deployed to monitor the gang’s movements, while detectives worked to trace the stolen money. Banks and financial institutions were alerted to watch for suspicious deposits, as the robbers would likely try to launder their loot. The police also coordinated with other security agencies, including the Nigerian Navy, to patrol the waterways more aggressively.

Weeks passed without significant progress, and public frustration grew. The Lagos State Police Commissioner held a press conference, assuring citizens that the investigation was ongoing and promising results. Behind the scenes, the pressure on the officers was immense.

Then came another lead. A young man in Ogun State was arrested for unrelated criminal activity, but during questioning, he mentioned knowing someone involved in the Ikorodu robbery. His name was withheld for security reasons, but his testimony provided valuable information. He claimed that the gang was planning another operation and named several members, including Ayodele and Kashim.

Armed with this intelligence, the police moved swiftly. They tracked the suspects to a hideout in a remote area near the Lagos-Ogun border. Surveillance confirmed that several men were using the location, moving in and out irregularly. On the morning of July 8, 2015, a tactical unit surrounded the hideout.

The raid was quick but intense. Gunfire erupted as the suspects resisted arrest, but the police overpowered them. Ayodele and several gang members were captured alive, while others managed to escape. The police recovered firearms, ammunition, and a portion of the stolen money from the hideout.

Interrogations followed. Ayodele initially refused to cooperate, but under sustained questioning, he began to reveal details about the robbery. He confessed to leading the operation and identified other members of the gang, including Kashim, who had escaped. Ayodele explained how they had scouted the banks, planned their escape routes, and executed the heist. He also admitted that they had received inside information from a bank employee, who tipped them off about security vulnerabilities.

The confession was a major victory for the police, but their work wasn’t over. They needed to apprehend the remaining suspects and recover the rest of the stolen money. Using Ayodele’s information, they conducted follow-up operations in Lagos, Ogun, and other states. One by one, the suspects were arrested. Kashim was captured during a raid in Delta State, where he had been hiding with relatives.

By August 2015, the Lagos State Police Command announced that they had arrested all key members of the gang and recovered a significant portion of the stolen money. The suspects were charged to court, and the case became a landmark example of coordinated law enforcement in Nigeria.